Will the Real Donna Noble Please Stand Up?
by madladypoet
Summary: Set after season 4. I hated what happened to Donna, so I made up my own happy ending for her. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

Will the real Donna Noble please stand up?

I hated what happened to Donna in the season 4 finale, so I have made up my own happy ending (of sorts). The Doctor/Captain Jack Harkness/Mickey/Dr. Martha Jones make appearances. Part 1 begins three months after the Doctor returned her home.

_Part 1_

Donna Noble was burning up.

Thrashing about in her bed, Donna was fighting against memories that weren't her own. They couldn't be. Donna knew that she had never been on a spaceship shaped like a police box, traveled with some bloke named the Doctor or saved entire civilizations and worlds. She was just plain Donna Noble, a temp in London who lived with her mum and grandfather and hoped for the day that a knight in shining armor would appear and marry her. Donna knew, as her mother reminded her daily, that she was no one special.

But the memories wouldn't leave her alone. During the course of her day, Donna would find herself reciting random scientific facts that she couldn't possibly know or walking to areas of town that she had never been, but that seemed heart achingly familiar. Donna took a holiday to Pompei and helped to find an entire area of the city that had never been dug up, but that she knew from memory was there. After Pompei, Donna didn't go anywhere but work and home. She shunned friends and barely even spoke to her grandfather. Without anyone saying it, Donna knew that something was wrong with her. So did her mum and grandfather who often sat in the living room and spoke in whispers about Donna when she had gone to bed. As always, mum and grandfather disagreed about the best course of treatment for Donna. Mum just thought that Donna would get over it with time. Grandfather kept talking about someone called the Doctor, which always seemed to bring out the worst in mum.

Donna woke up. She was drenched in sweat and shaking violently. Getting out of bed, she groped her way to the bathroom, where she proceeded to retch in the toilet. Once she was done, she laid on the cool bathroom floor, curling her body around the toilet. Mum had been bugging her to go to this brilliant doctor who had helped Mum's friend Edna's, but Donna had ignored her. Tomorrow, thought Donna as she drifted off, she would go to that doctor. What was the doctor's name, wondered Donna as her eyes closed for the night. Oh yes, she remembered as she began dreaming again, Martha Jones.


	2. Chapter 2

_Part 2_

Donna sat in her paper apron in the patient's room at Dr. Jones' and Dr. Morgenstern's office feeling foolish. Crickey, she thought, trying to stretch out the material, why do they make paper aprons so small? Donna fidgeted uncomfortably. She had been to her doctor for an annual checkup 6 months ago and checked out fine, so whatever was wrong with her was not physical. Maybe, thought Donna as she leafed through a magazine, that this was some sort of mental breakdown associated with Lance's death.

Disgusted, she tossed the magazine aside. Any mental breakdown had nothing to do with that idiot. Leaving her at the altar, and humiliating her in front of her friends, Donna was happy to be rid of him. Soon after their breakdown, Lance drowned while swimming in the Thames. Donna sometimes felt that he got what he deserved. Sighing, Donna shook her head. No, she thought, it was wrong to feel that way. Lance may have been a jerk, but he didn't deserve to die.

Cringing, Donna bent over as her head began to ache. She didn't understand why any time that she tried to remember something from her past; her head began to hurt. Donna knew that her memories of Lance would be painful, but after all this time, why would they cause her to have such a monstrous reaction? What was it with the other memories of space travel and this gent called the Doctor?

"Ms. Noble?" asked a female voice.

Donna managed to pull herself up into a sitting position and faced a beautiful young woman with long dark hair pulled up in an elegant chignon. The woman was cradling her stomach and Donna guessed that she was at least 6 months pregnant. Looking at the woman, Donna felt that something about her looked familiar. Trying to remember, Donna felt her mind crack again. Bending over, she felt waves of nausea hit her. As she caught her breathe, Donna could hear the woman going over to a sink and filling a cup of water. Then, the woman said, "Ms. Noble, you need to sit up and take a sip of this."

With some effort, Donna sat up and grasping the cup with both hands, began taking small sips of water. Surprisingly, Donna found that this helped the waves of nausea recede. Donna looked up to find the young woman staring at her with clinical interest. Despite the warmth she saw in the young woman's eyes, Donna felt embarrassed by her illness.

"You don't need to be embarrassed, Ms. Noble," said the woman, "I'm a doctor; I've seen it all."

"Dr. Jones?" asked Donna.

"Yes," said Martha with a sly smile, "that's me." Assuming a professional stance, she opened and carefully read Donna's chart. "According to your chart, Ms. Noble, you've been experiencing severe headaches and nausea for the last three months." Martha looked up from her chart and eyed Donna carefully. "The dark circles under your eyes indicate that you are suffering from a severe deficiency." Martha turned to another page in the chart "and according to Dr. Taft's report, you weighed 140 lbs on your last visit and you are now down to 125 lbs." Martha closed the chart and stared directly at Donna. "You say that all of this is due to nightmares that you have been having over the last couple of months." Martha's gaze suddenly changed from warm to stern. "Ms. Noble," she said rather sternly, "why haven't you sought treatment before?"

Donna cringed under the weight of Martha's stare. For a moment, she felt as though she were back in primary school with Ms. Donaghuey, the only teacher in the sixteen years Donna spent in school, who could actually make Donna shut down with simply a look. Martha was giving Donna that same look. Donna hung her head. "I couldn't believe that this was happening to me." Donna inhaled and then sighed. "Look, these couldn't be my memories." She looked up at Martha. "How could they be?"

Martha suddenly smiled at her, and Donna felt as though the clouds had lifted. "Maybe, Ms. Noble, they are your memories."

"What?!" exploded from Donna's mouth. "Are you mad?"

"Well," said Martha with a cheeky grin, "how else do you explain that you possess memories that you claim are not your own?"

"I'm no one!" shouted Donna. "I'm a bleeping secretary." "I live with my mum and grandpa."

"Even the most seemingly insignificant person can have a great impact on the world" said Martha. She leaned forward and smiled at Donna. "Ms. Noble, for all you know, you could be the most important person in the whole of creation."

Donna stared at Martha as if her doctor had gone mad. Martha noticed that her patient looked as though she wanted to head to the door and run into the lobby to tell everyone that Dr. Jones was indeed mad. Despite that, Donna stayed where she was sitting and Martha sat down and wrote out a prescription and handed it to Donna. Donna took it without a word and read it carefully. Then she stared up at Martha.

"Bloody hell," said Donna, "You are mad." She stared down at the script in her hand. "You want me to take a vacation and write down everything I remember."

"Yes," said Martha, who leaned forward, "Ms. Noble, something extraordinary happened to you, and your mind is fighting to remember it."

Martha stood up, "Allow it to remember." Martha tapped her pen on Donna's file. "It will help you more than any psychotropic that I can prescribe."

Donna nodded and stood up to go behind the dressing curtain. She turned to look at Martha. "Why do you believe that these are my memories?"

Martha smiled. "Because Ms. Noble, I've seen some extraordinary things in my life as well and I believe that you possess more courage than you know."

Martha nodded at Donna and left the room. Donna got dressed and picked up her prescription. She tapped the paper against her hand, shouldering her handbag, and decided to head to her friend, Maxine's travel agency. Looks like, thought Donna, that it is time for another vacation.


	3. Chapter 3

Martha Jones sat in Starbucks tapping her foot impatiently and checking the time on her Blackberry at least five times every two minutes. She was waiting to meet the Doctor, who for a time lord, was always late. Finally, 20 minutes after he said he was to appear, Martha saw points of brown hair rising above the steamed milk. Martha breathed a sigh of relief. It was the Doctor. She stood up and waved him over. He smiled upon seeing, but Martha felt herself inwardly cringe. He was different now that he was traveling alone. There was something harder around his eyes and a desperation within their depths that Martha had not seen before. Then it suddenly dawned on her—maybe the Doctor was dying.

Martha and the Doctor exchanged hugs as they sat down. The Doctor breathed in and made a face.

"Ugh, coffee," he snorted, "one of the worst things the Yanks forced on this country."

"Well," said Martha with a smile, lifting her mug to her face, "I don't know what I would do without my coffee." She took a sip and put it down. She was studying the Doctor carefully while he smiled at her.

"Playing doctor on me?" he asked with a cheeky grin.

Martha smiled back. "I already tried that before, and I ended up on the moon along with my entire hospital." Martha shook her head. "No thanks." She suddenly looked serious. "I am worried about you though." She tapped her Blackberry. "I've texted and phoned you several times but you never respond." She narrowed her eyes and stared at him. "You do have human friends who do care about you."

The Doctor's face went shallow, and for once, silent. As much as he hated to admit it, Martha was right. Since he and his companions saved Earth, he had ignored most of their phone calls and e-mails. It was wrong of him, but it was also the curse of the Time Lords—Infinite life. The Doctor stared at Martha's beautiful face and already knew what her future held. She and her new husband would have their first child within a year and three more children would follow. Martha would eventually become a grandmother and die within months of her beloved husband. Martha would die and the Doctor would go on until he would regenerate again, which should be fairly soon. Reaching over, the Doctor squeezed Martha's hand. He would never see her again with this face. It made him sad.

"How is everyone?" he asked.

"You and Rose are going to be parents," began Martha with a crooked smile. "I think it is going to be a girl."

The Doctor gave a slight smile. He was happy that his DNA clone and the love of his life were going to be parents. Still, it pained him to here the child was going to be a girl. The Doctor had a daughter on his home planet and she died during the time wars. If he closed his eyes, he could remember her golden hair and innate love of travel. He had promised that he would take her traveling with him. It never happened.

"That's wonderful," he told Martha.

"Captain Jack," she said sadly, "lost his latest boyfriend during an alien invasion." Martha shook her head. "He's been depressed ever since."

"Sorry to hear it," said the Doctor not sound too sorry, "what about Torchwood?"

"Gone," said Martha, "as far as I know."

"Sarah Jane got married," said Martha, "it was a beautiful wedding." She looked at the Doctor crossly. "You were supposed to be there."

The Doctor did smile broadly. Sarah Jane was always one of his favorite companions. Smart, sharp and sassy, she was never afraid to speak her mind and had more empathy and courage than most. The Doctor was glad to hear that Sarah Jane had not wasted her entire life waiting for him. She deserved better.

"Is he a good man?" asked the Doctor.

"Her husband?" replied Martha, "Yes, he is a good man." She smiled. "He is completely nuts over Sarah Jane."

"I'm glad to hear," said the Doctor and raised an eyebrow, "And you?"

"Great, actually," said Martha with a big grin, "my husband has given up his wanderlust and we are going to settle into a practice in Chelsea."

"You're not working for the government anymore?" asked the Doctor in surprise.

Martha shook her head. "It's time to settle down and have a family."

The Doctor nodded as if her answer didn't really surprise him. Martha surmised that the Doctor already knew her future and the future of everyone else. Maybe, thought Martha, that's why he stayed separated from his friends; it was too painful to watch his friends move on and live lives that he could never experience. Still, she thought, one friend needed his help—Donna.

"So how is Donna?" asked the Doctor, getting to the point of their meeting.

"Very ill," said Martha going into her doctor-mode as she did when discussing a patient. "I've sent her on vacation to try and remember."

"Are you mad?" shouted the Doctor loud enough that the other Starbucks patrons turned to look.

"No," said Martha calmly, "I'm a doctor, treating a patient, who, in fact, is being made sick because of her memories." Martha leaned forward and stared at the Doctor. "Memories she made during her time with you."

"I know," said the Doctor weakly, "but she cannot remember; it will destroy her."

"Not remembering," said Martha, "is killing her." Martha grabbed her coffee cup and took another sip. "Look Doctor, you and Donna were put on a path together for a reason, and more than any of us, Donna was a true companion." The Doctor began to protest, but Martha waved him off. "Look at all the people and worlds she saved," said Martha, "look how much she did for you." Martha leaned over and took his hands in her own. "Donna is an extraordinary person who deserves to know how extraordinary she really is."

The Doctor released Martha's hands and sat back in his chair. Martha was right. Although he had tried to block Donna's memories, eventually, they would come back. The Doctor wanted to kick himself. He should have stayed and helped Donna through her transition. Instead, he did what he always did when things got hard, he left.

"Where did Donna go on vacation?" asked the Doctor.

"Someplace outside of Dublin, Ireland," said Martha.

Standing up, the Doctor hugged Martha and walked with great strides out of Starbucks. Around the corner, the Doctor's police box was waiting. Once inside, the Doctor plotted his coordinates for Dublin, Ireland.

"I'm coming, Donna," whispered the Doctor, "I won't leave you, again."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Donna woke up and stretched her body. She was surprised at how taunt her body felt. Her girlfriend, Serena, had recommended yoga, and at first, Donna hated it. Once she got into it, she found it brought some relief to her illness. Getting up, Donna stretched her back. She walked into the bathroom and stared into the mirror. She had to admit that Dr. Jones was right: getting away did her a world of good. The dark circles under her eyes were not as bad and her cheeks looked bright instead of shallow. Donna changed into her running clothes and went to her closet to grab her shoes. Today, she was going to do something she had not done for a while—run.

Donna was staying on a farm outside of Dublin. Her friend, Maxine, had recommended Dublin as the perfect place to get away from everything while having some great nightclubs to go to. So far, Donna had been in Dublin for about 3 days and had simply enjoyed time alone in her rented cottage. It surprised Donna as she had never been a time-alone person, but something in her memories taught her that she had learned to be comfortable in her own skin. But where and how? Those were questions that haunted her.

Donna completed stretching and left the cottage. Outside, the weather was incredibly warm and the sun was shining so bright that Donna thought she was in the movies because it was such a gorgeous day. Suddenly, Donna had a flash of memory. She was with some bloke on another planet. He wasn't her lover. Donna knew that instinctively. He was too tall, too skinny. In fact, he looked like a rat in a brown suit with cheap running shoes. Still, Donna knew that she enjoyed spending time with him. Despite the fact that he talked a mile a minute about things she didn't understand, he gave her something she had always craved—adventure. They were on some distant planet where it was cold and full of snow and the sun was shining. She and this man were trying to help some sort of alien race who were slaves. The aliens were scary-looking. They had bald heads, had eyes like a cat and tentacles coming out of their mouths. Yet, from their vocal pieces, these aliens sung beautiful songs and exuded a kindness and gentleness that Donna had come to love and admire. Donna knew that she and her companion tried to save these aliens.

As sudden as the memory began, it ended and Donna found herself on top of a hill without knowing that she got there. She stopped running and took a breath. Donna was now convinced that she was going mad. Dr. Jones had it wrong. These couldn't be Donna's memories after all there was no life outside of earth. She certainly had not traveled with anyone to distant planets. No, she thought as she stretched her legs, she was plain, old Donna Noble, a temp from London. Donna closed her eyes and made a decision. No matter what memories came up from now on, Donna decided to ignore them and put them off to her overact imagination. Yes, thought Donna as she took a deep breath, that would help her cope. Satisfied, Donna opened her eyes and looked up and what she saw dropped her to her knees.

In front of her was standing the alien that she had previously remembered. It was dressed in a blue suit and was holding a vocal receptacle in its right hand. The creature was staring at her, but its eyes were smiling, and Donna felt her fear leave her. She knew this creature. Donna managed to stand up.

"Who are you?" she whispered in a shaky voice. "You know me, don't you?"

The creature nodded. "Yes, you are Donna Noble and I am one of the Ood." The creature bowed from the waist. "My name is Elder Ood."

Donna was shaking. "How did we meet?"

"You and the Doctor came to the planet where we were enslaved and saved us," said Elder Ood.

"Saved you?" asked Donna, "the Doctor?"

"Yes," said Elder Ood, "You are one of our great heroes Donna Noble." He pointed to the sky. "Each night, the Ood celebrate you in our songs. You and the Doctor."

"Who is the Doctor?" asked Donna. "How do I know him?"

Without warning, Elder Ood leaned over and put his free hand on Donna's head. Suddenly, her memories sprung to life and Donna saw everything. Her first wedding to Lance who sold her out to the Queen of the Arachnod. Her first meeting with the Doctor who was tall, skinny and looked like a rat in a cheap suit. Donna remembered going out among the stars, seeing new worlds teeming with life and saving those in need. Donna found out that she was more than plain, old Donna Noble, but that she was so much more. Gently, the Ood let go of her head and Donna saw the world come back into focus.

"Do you see how important you are to the universe, Donna Noble?" Elder Ood asked.

"Yes," said Donna, "but why couldn't I remember anything?"

"The Doctor shielded your memories to protect you" ,said Elder Ood. "You didn't just have memories; you also had the knowledge of a time lord." Elder Ood cocked his head to one side and looked at her. "Your mind couldn't handle it; you were burning up."

Donna remembered the endless nights where she sweated through her clothes and bedsheets, where she had headaches so severe that she could barely stand up, and where she had nausea so bad that she couldn't eat. Yes, thought Donna, Elder Ood was right. These memories were causing her to burn up, but yet Donna was filled with joy, she did have a purpose in this world.

"Of course," said Elder Ood, "you have a purpose." "You have a very important purpose." Elder Ood pointed to the sky. "He is coming, Donna Noble, and you must help him."

"Who is coming?" asked Donna.

"The Doctor," said Elder Ood. "He will need your help to defeat what is coming."

Donna knew that she shouldn't ask, but she did. "Defeat what?"

"Defeat the master," said Elder Ood, "and stop the end of time."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

_The Doctor_

The Doctor did his usual mad dash around the TARDIS. He grabbed levers and punched buttons with a vigor that he had not felt, since well, he had last travelled with Donna. As much as he hated to admit it, Martha was right. Donna was his only true companion since he had regenerated to his current form. Rose was his great love. Martha was his rebound. Astrid was a pleasant, if brief, interlude. However, none of them compared to Donna. She understood him in ways that no one, not even Rose, did, and he missed her incredibly. Yet, he brought her nothing but harm to a good and decent person. The Doctor loved and admired humanity because they were capable of bringing so much beauty into their world, and Donna encompassed the best of humanity.

The TARDIS twirled through space off its axis, and the Doctor felt a deep laugh escape his lips for the first time in several months. His time with Donna always made him feel full of laughter. He had missed that. Suddenly, the TARDIS came to a jolt and landed with a thump. The Doctor ran and opened the door. He suddenly came to a stop as bright sunlight filled his eyes and blinded him. Once his eyes adjusted to the light, the Doctor saw bright green hills of Ireland. The Doctor took a deep breath of cool sea air and exhaled deeply. He loved Ireland and was glad that Donna had chosen to come here.

The Doctor locked the TARDIS and began walking down the nearest hill. Pulling out his I-Phone, the Doctor clicked on the GPS app and immediately it located his position and then gave him directions to Donna's cabin. The Doctor was impressed that the upload took less than 60 seconds.

"My goodness," said the Doctor, "human technology is a wonderful thing."

The Doctor pocketed his new toy and began walking toward Donna's cabin. Today, he thought, is going to be a wonderful day.

_Donna_

Donna walked back down the hill toward her cabin. She just learned her past and her present, yet she felt a letdown. If she was so important, why did she have to go back to being plain, old Donna? Even worse, why did this Doctor leave her? Why didn't he stay to help her? Donna felt tears slip out, which she hated since she never believed in crying over a man. "I was going to travel with you forever," whispered Donna to herself.

Donna tossed her long, red hair over her shoulder and wiped the tears from her eyes. She just learned that she had traveled through time and space to different worlds and that she had saved the lives of others. Heck, thought Donna, the Ood even had a song in her honor, yet all she could think about was the loss of her friend. He had shown her the world and then disappeared, and all Donna could think about was why.

Donna jumped as the cell phone stored in her pocket sprang to life and began ringing. Donna grabbed the phone and opened. She didn't recognize the number, but decided to accept the call.

"Ms. Noble?" asked the somewhat familiar female voice, "Are you alright?"

"Dr. Jones?" asked Donna, "Is that you?"

"Yes," said Dr. Jones, "I am calling to warn you that he is coming."

"Who?" asked Donna.

"The Doctor," said Dr. Jones. "He is coming to find you and help you with your memories."

Donna stopped walking and froze. The Doctor was coming to help her. One part of her felt total joy, while the other felt complete anger. Those two emotions joined together and now Donna felt her body shaking.

"Why is he coming now?" said Donna, barely able to control her emotions.

"It's hard to explain Donna," said Dr. Jones, "but I promise you that he only has your best interests at heart." "It killed him to wipe your memories."

"You knew!" exclaimed Donna. "How could you let it happen?"

"I found out afterwards," said Dr. Jones, "I was one of the Doctors companions, like you." Donna heard an audible sigh from the other side of the phone. "The relationship with the Doctor is never an easy one." "You'll get your heart broken more than once, but what you get out of the experience is so worth it." Dr. Jones voice became stronger. "I had to come to terms with my experience as will you."

Donna suddenly felt tired. "What should I do?"

"See him, talk to him," said Martha, "Allow him to help you make sense of your life." "Believe me, he needs you now more than ever."

"That's what the Ood said," said Donna.

"You met the Ood?" asked Martha in awe, "I always wanted to meet them."

"Dr. Jones," asked Donna, "who is the Master?"

Donna heard a deep intake of breath and a clatter as Dr. Jones must have dropped the phone. "Dr. Jones!" shouted Donna. "Are you alright?"

Donna heard Dr. Jones pick up the phone and clear her throat. "Sorry for the scare," said Dr. Jones, "Yes, I know the Master." Donna heard Dr. Jones take a seat. "Listen Donna," said Dr. Jones, "The Master is a time lord, like the Doctor, but he is insane." Dr. Jones drew in another breath and continued. "He wants to end everything, including time itself."

"But what does that have to do with me?" asked Donna.

"I don't know," said Dr. Jones, "but you are what the Doctor always refers to as a fixed point in time." Suddenly, Dr. Jones voice actually sounded cheerful. "Believe me, that is a good thing."

"The Doctor," said Dr. Jones, "will help you sort it out." "I have to go Donna," said Dr. Jones, "but call me day or night if you need anything."

"Thanks," said Donna and hung up. She looked up at the sky. It was bright and beautiful. Donna sighed. It was going to be an awful day.

_The Doctor and Donna_

The Doctor knocked on the door of Donna's cottage rental. There was no answer, but the door was unlocked so he walked in. Immediately, the Doctor felt the presence of another. He walked quietly through the house until he found the source of the anomaly: Elder Ood. The Doctor grinned.

"Elder Ood," said the Doctor, "this is a distinct pleasure."

"I am glad that you think so Doctor," said Elder Ood, "I know our last meeting greatly upset you."

"Oh, you mean the talk of my death and all that," said the Doctor, waving the previous conversation off, "that's nothing."

"Yes, it is," said Elder Ood, "it can still happen Doctor." "That is why Donna Noble is the key."

"The key to what ?" asked the Doctor suddenly looking somber.

"The key to your regeneration," said Elder Ood. "The key to stopping the end of time."

"I don't understand," said the Doctor, "if I die, then time will not stop, it will go on."

"No, Doctor," said Elder Ood, "You are the protector of this world. If you die, then time stops."

The Doctor's mind couldn't accept that. After all, the Earth had existed for thousands of years before the Doctor had even been born. How could time stop now?

"When your planet was destroyed," said Elder Ood, "you traveled through galaxies and centuries, but kept coming back to Earth." "Why?"

"Because humans were wonderful," said the Doctor, "because they had such compassion and empathy for life."

"Then that is why you are the Earth's protector," said Elder Ood. "that is why you must not die."

"How is Donna the key?" demanded the Doctor, "I will not see her harmed."

"The key to your regeneration is locked in her mind" said Elder Ood.

"She will burn up if she remembers," said the Doctor. "Maybe not right now, but she will at some point."

"That is the choice Donna will have to make," said Elder Ood.

"I will not allow her to die," said the Doctor.

"Then you have to make the choice between Donna and the end of time," said Elder Ood.

Both went silent. The Doctor looked up into the eyes of Elder Ood who looked genuinely sorry. At that moment, Donna walked into the room. For a moment, everyone paused. Donna stared open mouth at the Doctor with him staring open mouthed back at her. Then they both stared open mouth at Elder Ood who coughed uncomfortably into his voice receptacle.

"Doctor!" shrieked Donna who ran and flung her arms around him. The Doctor wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her hair. They stayed like that for a moment, and then Donna stepped back from the Doctor and slapped him squarely across the face. The Doctor looked fairly stunned and he could have sworn that he heard laughter from Elder Ood.

"What was that for?!" shouted the Doctor.

"For leaving me spaceman!" shouted Donna. "How could you just have left me on Earth alone?!"

"I'm sorry," said the Doctor, "I realize that I made a huge mistake."

Donna stood with her hands on her hips, then suddenly the fight seemed to go out of her. She reached over and hugged him again, then released him again. "So what is this about the end of time?"


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Elder Ood, Donna and the Doctor sat around the table in her cottage. Donna was serving tea for herself and the Doctor while Elder Ood merely sat and watched. Donna blew on her tea while the Doctor added a ton of sugar and clotted cream.

"Blimey," said Donna, "with all of that sugar and cream, you would think you would be a bit heavier."

"Ahh," said the Doctor, "I burn it all off by running."

"The end of time," said Elder Ood, "is the end of all things."

Donna looked stricken while the Doctor looked over at Elder Ood annoyed. The Ood seemed nonplussed.

"How do we stop the end of time?" asked Donna.

"I don't know," said the Doctor.

"What do you mean that you don't know?" exclaimed Donna. "You always know."

"It is hard for men to see their own end," said Elder Ood.

"What do you mean?" said Donna looking from Elder Ood to the Doctor.

"My song is coming to an end," said the Doctor.

Donna suddenly looked cross. "What does that mean?"

"I'm dying," said the Doctor.

"No," said Donna, "that is not possible. Don't you regenerate?"

"I can still die if I don't regenerate on time," said the Doctor.

"You are the key to his regeneration," said Elder Ood to Donna.

"Can you please let me do the talking?" demanded the Doctor.

Elder Ood turned to the Doctor, "But you are not talking."

"Gentleman," said Donna, "can we please focus on the problem at hand?"

"The memories locked inside your mind are part Time Lord," said the Doctor, "I can use them to regenerate."

"But can't you regenerate to yourself again?" asked Donna. "You did it once before?"

"No," said the Doctor, "with the return of the master, if I am mortally wounded, I will regenerate again and become someone else."

"Oh," said Donna, "is that bad?"

"Yes," said the Doctor quietly, "I die and another man takes my place." He shook his head. "It's horrible."

"So what can we do to stop it?" asked Donna.

"You can't," said Elder Ood, "His song is ending; it is his time."

"I don't believe that," said Donna, her voice shaking, "you cannot die."

The Doctor leaned over and gripped Donna's hand. "I promise you that it will be alright."

Elder Ood stood up. He looked over at Donna and the Doctor and his eyes seemed to smile. "I must go," he said, "I will return Doctor when it is your time." Elder Ood bowed his head toward the Doctor. "We will sing to you as your song ends." With that Elder Ood disappeared.

"He seems so certain," said Donna, "can the Ood see what happens to you?"

"Yes," said the Doctor, "they can." He shook his head. "I don't know maybe Time Lords live too long."

"How can you say that?!" exclaimed Donna.

"Because I have seen it firsthand," said the Doctor, "the Time War that destroyed our planet was because Time Lords could not accept that their time was over."

"Well," said Donna, "don't talk like that." She sighed when she realized that the Doctor was not going to really tell her what she needed to hear. "Alright, one thing at a time." "What about the Master?"

"He is back because he was regenerated by some of his followers who kept the faith," said the Doctor.

"He still has followers?" asked Donna. "How?"

"Humans are wonderful," said the Doctor, "but you are easily seduced by power." He took a sip of his tea. "The master promises power, but will only use these people to gain his form back and when he does, he will destroy them."

"So how do we stop him?" asked Donna.

The Doctor shrugged. He thought when the Master died that it would be the end of things, but as he always did, the Master planned ahead and ensured that he could be brought back. The Doctor had to admit that he admired a man who planned that far ahead.

"A shrug is not an answer, Doctor," said Donna crossly, "give me your phone."

The Doctor handed over his phone and looked at Donna questioningly. "What are you doing?"

"Saving your skinny behind," said Donna, "by calling everyone."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

_Sarah Jane Smith's House_

The Doctor sat quietly while a flurry of activity swarmed around him. Donna kept his I-Phone and appeared to be calling everyone listed in his address book which included most of England the living and the dead. Sarah Jane was also on her phone calling her contacts in and around England to help out while her son, Luke, a genius, was upstairs with the computer, Mr. Smith, looking for the Master's whereabouts and calculating how many supporters the former Mr. Saxon really had. For once, thought the Doctor, he was the one standing still and it was a bit disconcerting. While he did not want to die, he had always felt the Time Lords lived too long and saw too much. Such long life and knowledge turned the Time Lords, once benevolent, into a cruel race who saw themselves as the consciousness of all creation. As such, the Doctor had no regret over his own actions during the Time War. If he had to, he would make the same decision again.

"Doctor, Doctor!" shouted Donna.

"What?!" he shouted back.

"Since you are sitting there like a stump," she responded, "would you mind getting the door?"

Lost in his own thoughts, the Doctor had failed to notice that the door bell had been ringing. Since he was the only person not doing anything, he felt obligated to get the door.

"Okay, Okay," shouted the Doctor to the person ringing the door, "I'm coming."

Opening the door, the Doctor was startled. For a moment, he could not speak, then finally he found his voice. "It's you." He leaned forward and took his startled visitor by the shoulders. "Joan Redfern?"

"No," said the woman, who appeared to be a bit shaken, "my name is Verity Newman; Joan Redfern was my grandmother."

The Doctor looked over at Donna who was still on the phone and turned back to Verity who seemed amused rather than shaken up. "How did Donna find you?" He shook his head. "I never told her about your grandmother."

"Oh," said Verity, "I wrote a book about my grandmother from her journals." Verity pulled out the book and handed it to him. "She talked about falling in love with a spaceman and how he changed her life." Verity nodded toward Donna who was standing behind the Doctor and waving Verity in. "Donna came to one of my book signings, saying that she knew a spaceman like the one my grandmother described." Verity came in the foyer and shut the door behind her. "We became friends."

The Doctor held the book in his hands and looked up at Verity. "Was she happy?" he asked.

"Yes," smiled Verity, "she had very fond memories of you."

"You didn't have to come," said the Doctor.

"Well," said Verity with a smile, "Donna is very persistent." She shrugged. "Besides, I am doing this in memory of my grandmother."

"Oi, spaceman," said Donna, tossing him his phone, "your phone is dead."

"That's your fault," exclaimed the Doctor, "you've been on it for three hours."

"Yeah," Donna sassed back, "saving you skinny behind." She turned to Verity and gave her a hug. "We're waiting for everyone to arrive." "Would you like some tea?"

"Oi," said the Doctor, "you haven't offered me tea."  
"Ignoring you," said Donna who was guiding a very amused Verity to the kitchen.

Behind him, the doorbell rang and the frustrated Doctor opened the door. He saw who it was and inwardly groaned.

"Hey handsome," teased Captain Jack Harkness, "miss me."

The Doctor gestured for the Captain to come in and closed the door behind his old companion. The two men stood in the foyer sizing each other up.

"I heard you're dying," said Captain Jack.

"I heard your latest boyfriend died," replied the Doctor.

"His name was Ianto," snapped Captain Jack, "and he was not just my boyfriend, he was also my friend."

At that the Doctor softened, while he did not approve of Captain Jack's lifestyle, he also realized that Captain Jack was capable of great love. Besides, the Doctor understood how hard it must be for Jack. How can you allow yourself to love when you are immortal and your lover isn't? The Doctor understood the pain of that better than anyone. After all, he mused, the only way he could be with Rose or Joan was to become human and in the end, he had to decide between remaining human to stay with them or staying a time lord to save the world. The Doctor never regretted his choice, but always ended up alone in the end.

Without warning, the Doctor did something he would have never done under any other circumstance besides his impending death: he hugged Captain Jack. At that moment, everything in the house seemed to stop. Sarah Jane and Luke, who were coming down the stairs, stopped moving to stare. Donna and Verity, who were coming back from the kitchen, with their tea stopped startled by the sight.

"What?" said the Doctor, letting go of Jack.

"The Doctor actually hugged Captain Jack," said Mr. Smith through the house intercoms, "Sarah Jane, should I report this on the Internet?"

"Now, all of you," said the Doctor who was now embarrassed.

"I don't know about the rest of you," said Captain Jack, with a winking grin, "but I feel incredibly moved by what has just happened." He turned to the Doctor. "I think we should all give this man a round of applause."

To the Doctor's horror, everyone started clapping, including Mr. Smith.

"Alright," said the Doctor with some irritability, "that's enough."

"Aww come on," said Luke, "taking the piss out of you eases the tension."

"Hey you," said Sarah Jane, ruffling her son's hair "watch your language."

"So who else are we waiting for?" asked the Doctor.

"Mr. and Mrs. Smith," said Luke.

"Mr. and Mrs. Smith?" mused the Doctor, and then he grinned as realization hit him. "Aww, Mickey got married." He looked around at everyone. "That's brilliant."

"Yeah," said Jack clasping the Doctor on the shoulder, "and just wait until you see to whom."

The door bell rang again, and with everyone looking at him, the Doctor opened the door. There stood Mr. and Mrs. Smith smiling and holding hands. The Doctor looked stunned and then remembered his manners.

"Mickey and Martha Smith," he grinned and grabbed them both in a hug, "Congratulations."

"Thanks, boss," said Mickey who hugged his wife close, "the best decision I ever made was marrying Martha."

"Well," said the Doctor, "I'll definitely agree."

"I still think she made a mistake," piped in Jack.

Mickey made a face at him and he and Martha stepped into the foyer. Now that the entire group was together, everyone turned serious and silent. Finally, Martha spoke up. "How do we stop the master and save the Doctor's life?"


End file.
